Barber and Moore (10/26/13)

Well, the title was certainly misleading—pianist Benjamin Bradham did play a Samuel Barber sonata, as well as works by Mozart, Beethoven Brahms, and Liszt. Maybe Moore was supposed to be More?

W. A. Mozart (1756–1791) – Rondo in D major; K. 485; Rondo in a minor, K. 511
L. van Beethoven (1770–1827) – Sonata in f minor (“Appassionata”), Op. 57, Allegro assai, Andante con moto, Allegro ma non troppo
Johannes Brahms (1833–1897) – Capriccio in f-sharp minor, Op. 76, No. 1; Intermezzo in B-flat Major, Op. 76, No. 4; Capriccio in g minor, Op. 116, No. 3; Intermezzo, Op. 116, No. 6
Franz Liszt (1811–1886) – Valse Oubliée (“Forgotten Waltz”); Transcendental Etude No. 10 in f minor
Samuel Barber (1910–1981) – Sonata in e-flat minor, Op. 26 (1949), Allegro energico, Allegro vivace e leggiero, Adagio mesto, Fugue: Allegro con spirito

The opening Rondo had a lightness, but also some heft, and there was a lot of variation in the piece. The second had a calm beginning that was gentle but not somber; however, it did not hold my interest as well as the first. It did, though, explore depths that I don’t usually associate with Mozart and was less predictable than I expected.

The Beethoven sonata had wide-ranging themes and used various styles of composition including bursts of power. With its chorale-like opening that then expanded, it felt meditative, even in the faster sections. In general, it was well contained, never getting away from the pianist (though I think there were a few fingering flubs).

The first of the Brahms pieces was pleasant, with harmonies that were deeper and steeped in the Romantic era. The second was gentle and fuller while the third had an explosive opening followed by a contrasting section and was grander than the first capriccio. The last reminded me of a song, at least in the opening, and then moved on to different sections that didn’t quite mesh together, for me, finishing with a gentle ending.

The Liszt waltz was playful and segmented, with a very odd ending. I got the feeling of a soirée or parlor piece as opposed to a more formal composition. The etude that followed had more of the pianistic fireworks I associate with Liszt and was much more fully realized than the waltz was.

Finally, the Barber sonata was totally new to me—modern sounding but with a form that I could follow. My notes include: “a bit of bombast, but to what purpose?” The second movement had a light feel, with repeated motifs, almost like a music box gone awry. The third was slow and fairly mesmerizing, and felt slightly adrift with modern, but pleasing, phrases. It built into a louder section then returned to quietude. The fugue opened with an angular, rhythmic theme that then seemed to splinter a bit. I didn’t really sense a lot of fugue-like phrases. All in all, I enjoyed the piece and might even try to seek out a recording in order to give it a second listen.

As an encore, Mr. Bradham played Chopin’s E Minor Prelude, an absolutely haunting way to end the afternoon.

ConcertMeister